Bullied children at ‘higher risk’ of mental illness than abuse victims – study

Children who are bullied by their peers face a higher risk of developing mental health issues later in life than those who have been sexually abused by adults, a new study reveals.

The study, led by
Professor Dieter Wolke of Warwick University, shows children who
are bullied by other children but don’t experience maltreatment
by adults are more likely to suffer from anxiety in the
future.

Many studies have examined the link between mental health issues
and maltreatment by adults, but the effects of bullying have been
largely neglected.

One in three children worldwide report being bullied.

Professor Wolke’s study examines the impacts on mental health of
children who are bullied at a young age.

Researchers measured the effects by comparing young adults in the
US and the UK who had been maltreated with those who were bullied
(or both abused and bullied) during their childhood.

The study involved 4,206 children from the UK who were part of
the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), and
1,420 US participants who were part of the Great Smoky Mountain
Study (GSMS).

The ALSPAC examined reports of maltreatment between ages 8 weeks
and 8.6 years, bullying at ages 8, 10 and 13, and mental health
outcomes at age 18.

It found that 8.5 percent of children were exposed to
maltreatment, 29.7 percent to bullying and 7 percent to both.

The GSMS study observed maltreatment and bullying between the
ages of 9 and 16, and the mental health outcomes of 19-25 year
olds.

It found 15 percent were maltreated, 16.3 percent were bullied
and 9.8 percent were victims of both.

The results suggest children are more likely to experience abuse
from peers than parents or adults.

Children bullied by peers ‘at greater mental health risk’ We
must not underestimate longterm effects of bullying http://t.co/zqPre64ggq

The UK study also shows children who have been bullied are 1.6
times more likely to develop mental health problems than those
who experienced maltreatment alone.

However, David Finkelhor and Corinna Jenkins Tucker from the
University of New Hampshire argue that a comparison between
children who are bullied and those who are maltreated make the
findings tenuous.